Sick as a Clam
by Thunderbyrd
Summary: Dipper and Wendy's date to a fancy, new seafood restaurant winds up ending in a more "ill-fated" fashion, so to speak. *Dipper/Wendy* *One-Shot*


**Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!**

**After spending nearly four months working on a lengthy, dramatic fanfic, I can now get back to my roots by writing some more good ol' Wendip fluff!**

**Same deal as it follows with my other Wendip stories "Sleepy Sensories", "Poolside Attraction", and "Musings in the Morning", this is a future fic, where Dipper and Wendy have managed to actually tie the knot and became a couple (b/c come on, they'd look adorable together), and where also, Dipper and Mabel are aged to 14 and Wendy is now 17.**

**Anywho, Happy Valentine's Day and I hope you enjoy some more Wendippy goodness!**

**Gravity Falls is owned by Alex Hirsch and Disney. (I do not own any of its characters nor its properties. This is purely a non-profit fanfic made for fun.)**

* * *

**SICK AS A CLAM**

Ever since Dipper and Mabel Pines had both returned back to Gravity Falls for yet another summer of fun and adventure, they both seemed to always discover more new and amazing things popping up around the town. Whether it be a new undiscovered creature or a mystical being popping up from time to time, Gravity Falls always seemed to have something new and unusual in store for our favorite pair of twins whenever they drop by in town for the summer.

Sometimes, even mundane, non-supernatural occurrences can be enough to garner some attention from the twins, as well as the rest of the Gravity Falls populace. And quite frankly, today was no different.

A new seafood restaurant had opened fairly-recently in downtown Gravity Falls named "Bistro by the Bay". As of now, it had certainly drawn a impressively-sized crowd since its grand opening, as the restaurant proved to be surprisingly fancier than expected (because how often does a top-notch restaurant of this caliber come around in Roadkill County?).

Regardless, this had came to the surprise to the folksy and home-county townspeople. Thankfully and luckily, the menu was moderately-priced and teeming with good-sounding food, the interior looked clean and spiffy, the staff was friendly, and the food itself was delicious, so nobody had any complaints as of yet.

However, I'm sorry to say that only one person seemed to be having a trying time today as Dipper coughed nervously for the upteenth time that afternoon, sitting across from Wendy at a table waiting for their waiter to arrive.

Both teens were dressed fairly nicely, with Dipper wearing a plain, red polo shirt and black dress pants and Wendy donning a simple, modest green dress. The couple hadn't really done anything to warrant anyone to look at them funny for being so semi-casual, aside from a few side glances with the patrons noticing Wendy still wearing her mildly-dirty hiking boots (ain't no way in heck she's attempting to wear high heels again), but still, their attire was clean and simple, which proved to be good enough for the diners there.

Still, Dipper couldn't help but to feel nervous throughout all this. As much as he loves going out to dates with Wendy, he hadn't thought that this next date would lead them to dine at such a high-class joint. Technically, it was Wendy who had offered to take Dipper to Bistro by the Bay to see what the big deal was, and though Dipper certainly wasn't a stranger to seafood, the size and overall tone of the place certainly caught Dipper by total surprise.

His tolerant and more calm-minded girlfriend, however, could naturally see that her sweet, shy boyfriend was getting flustered (as usual) and decided to intervene.

"Something crossin' your mind, Dip?" she asked simply, yet curiously with a knowing smile.

Dipper blushed a bit before he cleared his throat once again that afternoon. "N-Nothing, nothing at all…" he tried to deny.

Wendy, however, could read her young boyfriend like a book and smirked lightly. "The restaurant wasn't how you expected it to be?" she mused curiously.

Dipper hated to admit it, but Wendy was right. Everything about Bistro by the Bay seemed so...elaborate than expected. Gravity Falls certainly wasn't a place to include such lavish businesses, so finding out that this place looked so opulent and clean on the inside came to a huge surprise to him. Usually when he and Mabel would go to the local seafood-themed restaurant back in Piedmont with their parents, their restaurant simply had crusty, dirty nautical-themed knick-knacks strung along the walls, subpar food at half-decent prices, and waiters and staff dressed in corny pirate ensemble.

Here, this place looked more like a five-star joint, with the crimson and gold-colored interior blending well with the clean environment making Dipper a tad on edge. The tablecloths were tidy, the ambiance was fresh and civil. Heck, even something as simple like the napkins looked top-notch. It wasn't enough to intimidate Dipper, but it certainly made him feel a tad apprehensive.

"I...guess you could say that?" murmured Dipper after taking in the full view that Bistro by the Bay had to offer. Wendy smirked softly.

"Didn't expect Gravity Falls to get such a fancy place, eh?" she chuckled, and judging by the scrunched-up face Dipper was sporting, Wendy knew she was in the right.

"Well, I mean, I love Gravity Falls more than anything…" admitted Dipper, "but I didn't think this place was gonna so...exuberant…"

Wendy's playful smirk never left her face. "Just goes to show that Gravity Falls is _still_ full of surprises, huh?"

Dipper chuckled softly at that remark, in spite of himself. "Heh, yeah, you can certainly say that…" he smiled gently. He then bashfully looked up to Wendy with a soft blush on his face.

"Well, regardless, I'm just happy to be here with you today, Wendy…" he stated sincerely. Wendy blushed and her smirk melted into a smile.

"Same here, Dippy…" she crooned, "I gotta say though, you do clean up quite nicely…"

Dipper's blush reddened harder at that compliment. "Th-Thanks, Wendy. Ahem, y-you look g-gorgeous yourself…" he replied back shakily. Wendy giggled softly at his nervous sincerity.

"Thanks, hon…" she smiled, taking her hand to hold Dipper's on the table, thus calming down the flustered boy instantly.

Soon enough, before the couple could partake in anymore flirting, a balding middle-aged man with a thin mustache, wearing a white dress shirt, black pants, and black dress shoes came up to Dipper and Wendy's table.

"Good afternoon, sir and ma'am. My name is Grégoire and I'll be your waiter today…" he hummed with a French accent, nodding politely to the couple, "May I start you two off with beverages?"

Dipper was the first to speak up. "I'll take an iced tea with lemon, please."

Grégoire jotted down the order with a thin smile. "Mm-hmm, and for you, miss?"

Wendy squinted at the drinks section of the menu, which either consisted of a decent-sized list of different wines or simple, boring drinks like water and tea. Not one single soft drink was seen on the menu, prompting an unsure frown from the red-haired lumberjill.

"Err...not to pry, but do you guys have any root beer in this joint?" she asked out of curiosity. Grégoire raised an unamused eyebrow at her.

"I beg your pardon?" he asked back somewhat-incredulously. Dipper blushed softly out of mild nervousness before Wendy's lips went into a straight line, deciding it best to try and keep it classy for once.

"I guess I'll have an iced tea as well…" she replied after an awkward period of silence. The waiter, though still giving Wendy a bit of a weird look, put down her order as well without question.

"Anywho…" said Grégoire, "Would you both like to hear our specials today? One of our specials is fresh Baltimore steamed clams soaked in a rich vodka sauce…"

Dipper's eyes lit up with intrigue as the waiter listed off that specific menu item as he gave him an approving smile. "That actually sounds pretty delicious!" commented Dipper thoughtfully, "I'll try out the clam dinner!"

Even Wendy seemed to like the idea of trying out the aforementioned special. "Yeah, I'll take what he's having as well!" she said with a smile.

Grégoire smiled broadly and wrote down the order on his little booklet. "Ah, excellent choice, my dears! We've just gotten a fresh batch of clams delivered this morning! We'll have your food out soon!" And with that, Grégoire took away the menus and went to the kitchen to give the cooks the young couple's order.

As the waiter left the table, Dipper and Wendy soon had enough clout to resume their casual chatting. "So, you and Mabel find any more new discoveries this week?" Wendy asked curiously. Dipper's eyes beamed at that question.

"Well, we did manage to locate this area close by the waterfall where there used to be home to some water nymphs, but we haven't spotted any that day. And then on Wednesday, we tried to discover Creature #99 about the case regarding a man who turns into a werewolf in the _daytime_ rather than night, but no dice on that one as well…" explained Dipper, letting out a soft sigh afterwards. Wendy smiled sympathetically towards him.

"I'm sure you'll find some other weird creatures again while you and Mabel are still here." she assured hopefully. Dipper certainly did appreciate her kindness, but even he seemed a bit unsure himself.

"Possibly…" he murmured, "It's almost as if Gravity Falls is running out of mysteries to solve…" Wendy couldn't help but to let out a little chuckle.

"I wouldn't be surprised. You and Mabes have been scouring through those journals like it was nobody's business…" she mused thoughtfully. Dipper's smile feebly returned to his face.

"Well, you never know, Wendy...it's like you've said, Gravity Falls certainly is full of surprises…"

Wendy chuckled warmly. "Heh, told ya…"

The young couple continued chatting casually for quite some time, usually talking about each other's families and what they did over the fall, winter, and spring months when they were apart from. As much as they had sorely missed each other during that lengthy passage of not seeing each other in person, they were just happy to be together in person again, even if it was for the summer as usual. And suffice to say, Dipper was feeling more and more relaxed as he and Wendy kept happily chatting away, with not even the bistro's fancy ambiance doing anything to sour his good mood.

It wasn't even that long when Grégoire returned with two steaming plates of cooked clams for them both, kindly bidding them adieu to leave them alone with their meal. Dipper salivated at the freshly-prepared meal presented in front of him and readied his fork and knife. However, before he could dig into his food, he paused momentarily as his nose picked up the wafting scent of an odd smell.

A rather odd and somewhat-discomforting smell indeed.

Dipper looked at his meal with a funny look, giving it a few precautionary sniffs before looking up to his girlfriend, who was already peeling away at the baked bivalves as we speak.

"Wendy?" he asked carefully, "Does our meal smell a bit..._off_ to you?"

Wendy gulped down a forkful of clam, giving Dipper a peculiar look. Still, she gave her food a little sniff just in case, but nothing seemed to deter her as she simply shrugged in response.

"I mean...kinda?" she replied unsurely. "But, then again, seafood was never really pleasant-smelling to begin with…"

Dipper did mentally agree her quip about "pleasant-smelling seafood", but even so, as a person who acquired a better taste for seafood compared to Wendy, he still seemed apprehensive. However, he decided to just grin and bear it for now, not wanting to let his negativity ruin their date and to just enjoy their meal as Dipper begin eating away at his funny-smelling food.

After all, how bad could this possibly end up being, anyway?

* * *

**A HALF-HOUR LATER...**

* * *

Meanwhile, in one section of the forest, 14-year-old twin Mabel Pines was sitting in the living room floor of the old Mystery Shack, snuggled up next to her trusty pig Waddles, both plopped in front of the TV as another episode of "Duck-tective" currently aired before them, with both Soos and Melody joining them as the plump couple nestled together on the old armchair. As Grunkle Ford had went out to the downtown bookstore to run some quick errands, that only left his stingy brother Grunkle Stan to occupy the kitchen, shuffling his "hard-earned" cash in his hands and scatting to himself merrily, happy knowing he managed to make a decent sale today and was unashamed to let everyone know it.

"Ahh…" sighed Stan blissfully, "Another day of rubes buyin' junk from the shelves…"

"Yep, looks like we sold all those fancy gemstones away pretty nicely today!" commented Soos from in the living room. Stan chuckled deviously as he placed his roll of bills in his pants pocket, now joining his fellow family members in the living room.

"Yeah, I knew colorin' those rocks with translucent paint would've helped turn a profit!" he cheered snidely, proving that no matter how old he may be getting, Grunkle Stan still proved to be a greedy, old, son of a gun. Melody, however, seemed a tad concerned.

"Mr. Pines, isn't it a bit...unconventional to sell fake items to shoppers and pass them off as 'genuine'?" asked Melody confusedly. Her question was only met with a wheezy, loud cackle from the shyster himself as Grunkle Stan slapped his knee in response.

"HA-HA-HA-HA! 'Unconventional'! Hoo-hoo-hoo, Soos, your girl is a riot, ya know that!?" guffawed Stan, who was too caught up in his laughing fit to notice the unimpressed look Melody was giving him. Soos only looked towards Melody with a sorry look and rubbed her back in sympathy as Stan's chortling finally died down.

"Eh, well, it was a shame Dipper wasn't here to see those schmucks blindly buy those gems. The stupid grin Mayor Cutebiker was sportin' when he saw these was _priceless_!"

Mabel tittered teasingly as she scratched Waddles' furry backside. "Aw, you know him, Grunkle Stan! Can't be away from his sweetheart for so long!" she giggled playfully. Waddles snorted back in agreement.

Grunkle Stan chuckled in return. "Heh-heh-heh-heh...yeah, crazy how love does that to a person…" he commented, almost wistfully. As much as he and Mabel loved to tease Dipper about him always being with his beloved girlfriend, they still all were incredibly proud and happy for Dipper nonetheless, knowing how elated he was to be with his long-time crush after all.

If he was happy, then they were happy. And that was that.

Even Soos and Melody were just as happy for the couple, too. "I agree, dudes!" smiled Soos, "By the way, where'd they say they were going to for their date?"

"I think they went to that new fancy-pants seafood place near downtown." explained Mabel from her spot on the floor.

Melody gasped in delight. "Oh, Bistro by the Bay! That place has such great food for great prices! And the interior decor of the restaurant...oh, it's just so exquisite!" she praised happily. Soos nodded excitedly.

"Yeah, and the inside of the place is pretty, too!" agreed Soos simply, "I took Melody there for a date last week and it was a pretty swell place!"

Grunkle Stan chuckled wryly from the sidelines. "Great food for great prices, eh? Maybe I should set up a cafe or somethin' outside, sellin' coffee and snacks to get some more money from those suckers…" he mused deviously and thoughtfully at his idea, "I wonder if Ford still has that blueberry scone recipe he's kept for some time? I'll have to ask him when he returns home from the bookstore…"

***HONK-HONK!***

The sudden beep from a car horn outside soon brought the attention to everyone in the living room. They all soon crowded around the front window to see Grunkle Ford, who had been using Stan's old sedan while he was out, parking close by the entrance of the Mystery Shack. As Ford turned off the ignition and got out of the car, Stan smirked from the windowsill.

"Heh, right on cue…" he gruffed. However, everyone's smiles went limp as they also noticed that Ford had two other passengers in the sedan that he was currently assisting out of the vehicle.

Two passengers that were _very_ familiar indeed.

It came to no surprise that when Stan opened the door to see Ford helping the two teens inside the house, that everyone crowded around them with worried glances, especially considering who these two teens are that Ford helped lead to the living room to rest. Mabel was the first to voice out her distraught.

"Dipper!? Wendy!? What happened to you guys!?" cried Mabel fearfully.

Sure enough, there standing before them, were Dipper Pines and Wendy Corduroy, looking very sickly indeed. Their faces were both pale (with only a light tint of green shown on their cheeks) and they both felt the need to ralph very badly. Their queasy stomachs grumbled and gurgled in irritated unison and their legs were shaky and weak.

They hadn't the strength to speak that clearly either, leaving the rest of their friends and family confused and beyond concerned. As Grunkle Ford led them to sit together on the arm chair to rest, Dipper groaned and quivered uncontrollably, trying his very best to explain the situation.

"Clams...spoiled...went buh-bleh-_urrrrp_-bad…" he uttered out, an incoming belch sneaking its way out of Dipper's system. Wendy, in spite of being just as unwell and exhausted as her boyfriend, managed to try and back up his pitiful statement through her stomach pain.

"Dinner d-didn't really go as...errr...ughhh...planned…" she croaked out, praying that some of the bile bubbling in her stomach wasn't planning to escape through her mouth mid-sentence. Even so, that still wasn't enough closure for the Pines family to know what exactly happened. But thankfully, Grunkle Ford was there to explain everything that had occurred.

"They both ordered a clam dinner at Bistro by the Bay and...well...let's just say the restaurant hadn't properly checked to see if the clams were fresh to begin with, so now they've gotten a stomach virus…" explained Ford somberly. His tone and choice of words were enough to spark fear into the others' eyes.

"A stomach virus!?" gasped Mabel in horror, looking towards the two with a devastated expression. Mabel trembled right on the spot, feeling too scared to know what to do before Melody stepped up and rubbed Mabel's back in hopes to calm her down.

"Are they both gonna be okay?" Melody asked gently. Ford nodded towards the young woman, glancing towards Dipper and Wendy as they huddled together on the chair, shivering and still green-faced.

"They'll both be fine eventually." he sighed out, "Luckily, they hadn't consumed too much of their meal before they had realized the calms were spoiled. The restaurant comped their meal and they called for help when they've seen that they weren't fit to head back home alone." He then walked up to the couple and gave them a soft, somewhat-fatherly look.

"You both are just lucky I was nearby the area when this all happened." he reminded gently, "If we'd stayed there any longer, your sickness may have either spread across the restaurant or something." And even though this situation had totally been unexpected and Ford certainly wasn't chiding or lecturing the couple, Dipper and Wendy still felt quite down in the dumps indeed from their whole dilemma.

A simple lunch date now ruined because of some rotten clams, leaving two loving teens to be quite under the weather.

Dipper looked down at his feet and coughed pathetically. "S-Sorry, Grunkle Ford…" he mumbled out.

"Yeah...urp...we're so...we're s-s-s...ugh…oh, God..." Unfortunately, Wendy's apology was being interrupted as a sudden rising of fluid building up in her stomach began to get ready to escape. Wendy clamped her mouth shut as tightly as she could, hoping to try to swallow back the incoming bile as best as she can, but it didn't seem like that would work out well anyway.

Luckily, Soos noticed his friend's plight, so he instinctively grabbed a nearby waste bucket and immediately gave to Wendy, who in turn, wasted no time barfing into the bucket. Soos stood next to her, patting her back gently.

"Just let it all out, dude…" he murmured gently to the sickly redhead. Soon, after six seconds, she finally stopped and spat out any remaining phlegm caught in her throat before passing the bucket back to Soos.

"Th-Thanks, big guy…" gasped Wendy weakly, but appreciatively. Soos simply smiled and nodded back and retrieved the bucket to empty its contents in the downstairs bathroom. Grunkle Stan shuddered in disgust from the display before him.

"I better check my car to see if nobody had puked inside of it…" he groused and he walked back outside towards his sedan, leaving the rest to look worriedly back towards Dipper and Wendy, both unhappily shivering and huddled on the chair together. Mabel frowned sadly and looked back up to her older relative.

"Grunkle Ford, isn't there _something_ we can do?" she asked sadly. Grunkle Ford knelt down and rubbed her shoulder gently, giving her a reassuring smile.

"Of course we can…" he replied, "We all just gotta pitch in. First, I want you and Melody to bring Dipper and Wendy upstairs and into one of the bedrooms. They're both going to need to lie down and rest for a while. I'll be in the kitchen making some soup to help settle their stomachs."

Mabel nodded bravely and soon enough, she carefully helped Dipper up the stairs, with Melody taking Wendy right behind her, as they both led the unwell couple into the twins' shared bedroom to rest up. Soos had just returned the bathroom before Ford turned back towards him.

"Soos, if it isn't too much, could you run by the drug store downtown and pick up some antacids for Dipper and Wendy?" he asked. Soos saluted and immediately grabbed the keys to the Shack's golf cart.

"You got it, dude!" he agreed, leaving the Shack to complete his mission. Ford sighed and looked upstairs to see Mabel and Melody help lead Dipper and Wendy straight into the bedroom. Even though their sickness wasn't fatal or permanent, he still couldn't help but to worry regardless, and he was especially grateful to have the others pitch in to help.

Although, his brother may be a different story altogether...

"AW, SON OF A GUN, THEY _DID_ PUKE IN THE BACK SEAT! THIS WAS AUTHENTIC SHAG CARPETING, DANGIT!"

Upon hearing Stan's disgruntled exclamation, Ford pinched the bridge of his nose and let out the heaviest sigh he'd ever exhaled. As much as he was willing to help his nephew and his girlfriend with their predicament, his patience could only go so far, seeing as he was only a handful of people in the Mystery Shack crew sensible enough to act as a leader towards the group. It would seem like today was _really_ gonna be one of those days.

"Sweet mother of Stephen Hawking, I need to take a vacation one of these days…"

* * *

Soon enough, Dipper and Wendy were both secured under the covers to rest up, with Dipper in his own bed and Wendy using Mabel's bed for the time being. Mabel and Melody had just tucked them both into their beds and had also had the time to fetch tissue boxes, ice bags, and even gave them each a waste bucket to use in case they had to release anymore contents festering in their upset stomachs. Melody, who had experienced a situation involving a stomach virus with a family member of her's, was readily making sure both Dipper and Wendy were feeling comfortable and secure enough to try and get well soon enough.

Mabel, on the other hand, just stood back and couldn't help but to fret for her twin brother and one of her closest friends. While she certainly had experienced many times she and Dipper had been sick (sometimes at the same time), she hadn't recalled seeing Dipper look this unwell before. It was enough to cause her to quietly worry from the sidelines as Melody was single-handedly made sure things were going along decently. Not even Grunkle Ford's reassuring words from earlier were enough to calm her frayed nerves.

Soon, with the couple tucked snuggly in their separate beds and having enough items to keep them secure for now, Melody sighed and gave the two some much needed space. "Okay, guys," she said towards the couple, "Ford's gonna help get more stuff up to you both soon to settle your stomachs in a bit, so if you guys need something, just yell for us, okay?"

Dipper coughed and did his best to keep his rotten dinner from escaping his mouth. "Gotcha…" he croaked out. Wendy followed up his statement with a weak groan.

"Tell Grunkle Ford we s-said 'thanks', okay?" she asked, her sickly voice trying to sound as grateful as it could be. Melody smiled softly in response and nodded back to the redhead.

"Of course…" she promised to her friend. Mabel, on the other hand, feebly walked up to Dipper's bed and looked down at her unwell brother with sad, worried eyes. The fact of not being able to help Dipper and Wendy cure their virus any sooner gave her such a dreadful feeling inside her.

She carefully ran her hand across Dipper's sweaty, burning face and sighed forlornly. "Aw, Dip…" she bemoaned worriedly, "I wish I can help ya get better…"

Dipper looked up to Mabel, his eyes looking just as worrisome as hers. Having recalled when he had attempted to flee his hometown to go back home to Gravity Falls, a discussion between him and Mabel had ended with his bubbly twin sister promising to be more attentive in future, to which Mabel was certainly doing her best to live up to her goal. Regardless, Dipper was simply touched to know that Mabel really _does_ care for his well-being this much.

He gave her a weak, though reassuring smile, hopefully being enough to quell Mabel's fretful doubts. "We'll be fine, Mabel...really…" he wheezed out, "It's just a stomach virus is all…"

Wendy coughed from across Dipper's bed, grabbing Mabel's attention. "Ford'll be here to - _urp_ \- help settle our sickness. All we need to do now is rest…" put in Wendy. Mabel seemed unsure about this at first, but before anymore doubtful feelings could plague her mind, she felt Dipper gently grab her hand and give it a soft pat.

"Trust us, sis. We'll both be well soon…" soothed Dipper, looking into her misty eyes with the warmness that only a brother could give. Given the circumstances, Mabel would've immediately pulled Dipper into a big hug on the spot, but seeing as how ill he was, she couldn't risk catching his cold, so all she could do was give him a small, thankful smile.

However, before anymore words could be said, Melody gently walked up to Mabel and rubbed her back reassuringly. "C'mon, Mabel…" she said, "Let's let them rest for a while. Maybe Mr. Pines might let us help with his soup?"

Her offer seemed to be enough to warrant a hopeful smile back to Mabel's face as she slowly followed Melody out of the bedroom, all while giving Dipper and Wendy one last caring look before they closed the door, leaving the couple all alone to try and rest. With the two young women gone, all Dipper and Wendy could do was let out a pair of loud, tired, sickly groans, both slumped around on their separate beds before they turned their bodies to face each other from afar.

Even with the couple feeling completely under the weather, they'd still be willing to hold a conversation with each other regardless. Dipper started things off with a wet-sounding cough.

"Some day, huh…?" he began. His voice certainly had no traces of sarcasm or contempt, but the solemn look Wendy was sporting made Dipper quite worried for his redheaded girlfriend.

"I suppose…" Wendy sighed glumly before she broke another fit of coughs. Dipper frowned sadly. Somehow, he knew he must've done _something_ to cause their date to go awry.

"Wendy…" began Dipper guiltily, clearing his throat as best as he could, "I'm sorry if I caused our date to end so badly…"

Confused and worried, Wendy looked up to Dipper from across the room. In spite of his sickness, it was still not enough to mask the sad tone of his voice, or the glum, downcast expression he was sporting on his face. As much as Wendy walked to come over to him and give him enough hugs and kisses to make him feel better, she was still too weak and tired to even try. She groaned weakly and locked eyes with him, with both the brunette and redhead giving each other sad and guilty looks from each end of the bedroom.

"Dipper...it wasn't your fault...it was _my_ fault, dude…" Wendy insisted solemnly. Dipper seemed quite surprised from hearing Wendy apologize for today's calamitous event.

"Your fault!? B-But, Wendy!" he exclaimed hastily, "wh-why would you think that?"

"Well…" sighed Wendy, "it _was_ my idea for us to go to that place to begin with…" Dipper still didn't seem convinced to agree with her.

"But, we couldn't have known those clams went bad! It was just a freak occurrence was all!" pointed out Dipper, hoping it'd be enough for Wendy to understand. Sadly, it didn't seem to go through to Wendy as she still looked quite unsure.

However, before she could speak out, Dipper managed to shimmy out from his covers and lug himself off the bed and to walk towards Wendy, all while doing his very best to not throw up unexpectedly. He sat down on Mabel's bed and carefully rubbed Wendy's side, giving her the warmest, most loving smile he could muster. Wendy looked up and looked quite confused, but said nothing as Dipper finally spoke up again.

"Wendy, this incident wasn't your fault, honest. I know everything turned out bad in the end, but sooner or later, everything _will_ be fine…" assured Dipper gently. "Everything just happened to go sour out of pure coincidence is all…" Wendy continued looking up at her boyfriend with hazy eyes, her face still wrinkling with self-doubt.

"B-But…" she went on upsettedly, "I managed to get us both sick! I wanted this date to be special for us both, Dipper, and now it's all ruined because of my poor judgment. All because I didn't think twice about seeing if those clams were fresh..."

Dipper's frown went deeper than before. It really wasn't like Wendy to sound so negative before, especially during times like this. Still, Dipper kept rubbing her back and looked down at her with tender, caring eyes.

"Wendy, you didn't ruin _anything_…" he reassured softly, "I know you wanted this date to be special for us, but none of this was your fault. It's like I have said, it was all just an unexpected outcome is all...I am not upset with you in any way, Wendy, honest…"

Wendy wiped away a small tear pricking her at her eyes and gave Dipper a soft, hopeful look. "You really mean that, Dipper?"

Dipper smiled and nodded. "Of course!" he smiled, "I mean...yeah, we got sick in the end, but it's only a simple stomach virus is all. Plus, we have Grunkle Ford and Mabel and the rest of our family to take care of us 'til we get better, so at the very least, we'll still be looked after while we're sick…"

Wendy sniffled and coughed, slowly letting Dipper's word sink in. "I...guess you're right…" she admitted, "I just feel sorry for causing those guys at the restaurant so much trouble, though...our waiter looked like he was gonna faint once he saw us double over in pain…"

Dipper chuckled softly. "Yeah, but they were nice about and they did comp our food. Hopefully, this'll be a lesson for those guys to double-check their food in future, y'know…"

Wendy felt her smile slowly return to her pale face, she hadn't really thought about it like _that_ before. Even so, even if the restaurant was to blame for causing her and Dipper's illness to begin with, she hoped it wouldn't be enough to ruin Bistro by the Bay's reputation. Still, it was like Dipper said, they'll soon be okay and they both are well looked after by their friends and family. In spite of the unwell position she and Dipper were in right now, she felt Dipper's positive reassurance ease her troubled mind, causing her to give Dipper a small, but thankful smile in return.

"You know…" began Wendy gently, "maybe you have a point in this, Dip…"

Dipper smiled back. "Trust me, Wendy. Things will get better soon, and when they do…" he paused, his bashful nature beginning to show again, "...then we could still go on more dates...t-that is if it's alright with you…?" he finished with a shy blush. Wendy smiled and giggled, her tired throat making her voice sound a bit wheezy, but she didn't care.

Only Dipper could still act so shy even after he's landed his crush as his beloved girlfriend.

"Dipper…" began Wendy as she softly grabbed his hand with her own, looking up at him with loving eyes, "of course I wanna go on more dates with ya! You know how much I love hangin' with my big-hearted bookworm…" She giggled softly upon seeing Dipper blushed harder at his affectionate nickname.

"But still…" continued Wendy, "you _do_ have a point...I guess we both didn't really see this coming…"

Dipper nodded back with a small smile. "Just trust me, Wendy, everything will be okay in the end…" Then, he held Wendy's hand in his own and tenderly looked down at her with as much sincerity he could give through his hazy illness.

"And I know that whether we're both going through some bad cold, we'll always go through it together…"

Wendy's warm smile had finally returned in full force for the first time that afternoon. Her pale and slight green-tinted cheeks were replaced with a blush that spread across her freckled face, along with her beaming smile as well. Sure, she may now be weak, hot, sweaty, and on the verge of throwing up, but at least she still has her loving boyfriend to assure her that everything was going to be fine in the end.

Summoning all her strength, she lifted her upper body up enough to grab Dipper and gratefully pull him into the most loving hug that she could muster. Dipper was somewhat caught off-guard with the sudden hug, seeing as how both of them were still under quarantine, but as of now, Dipper was too enraptured within Wendy's grasp to care as he too wrapped his arms around Wendy, both teens smiling blissfully for what almost felt like hours.

Wendy soon broke the silence after some minutes of quiet hugging. "Thanks for being there for me, Dipper...I love you so very much…" Dipper blushed a bit harder from Wendy's loving and genuine remark. If he wasn't so sick, he'd kiss her on the spot.

"I love you, too, We...Wend...err...Wend…urp..."

***GRUMBLE-GRUMBLE!***

Then, just as everything seemed to go fine, something in Dipper's stomach wound up going haywire, enough to cause a lag in Dipper's compliment. A loud gurgle was heard between the two, and poor Dipper nearly froze on the spot as a rising feeling from the pit of his stomach caused him to gag a bit. Wendy immediately let go of the hug and backed away a bit, knowing what this could possibly mean.

"D-Dipper?" she beckoned worriedly and cautiously. Dipper hadn't the time to explain anything. He simply jumped off of the bed and shuffled quickly to his own bed, right towards the puke bucket sitting close by. Without warning, Dipper dipped his head above the bucket and then, with some more gagging and groaning to follow, the brunette boy found himself ralphing up inside the bucket.

Wendy cringed in mild disgust at the display, but even so, she still felt sorry for Dipper's situation. Eventually, Dipper emptied his contents in the bucket and was now spitting and hacking as much gunk he could try and force out from his mouth, all before he lazily and tiredly climbed back in his bed and covered himself up once again.

"S-Sorry…" he apologized pathetically towards his girlfriend. Wendy's wince softly morphed back into a look of understanding.

"It's okay, dude…" she returned as she tucked herself back in, "Let's just both get some rest, eh?" Dipper nodded back weakly, yet somehow, a wry smile pricked at his lips.

"I'll tell ya one thing though, Wendy…"

Wendy raised an eyebrow and looked back to her boyfriend. "What's that?"

"After today, I ain't touching seafood for a loooong time…"

A wet, croaky laugh escaped from Wendy's mouth. "Yeah, same here, dude…" she agreed whole-heartedly.

And with all that said, Dipper and Wendy had both subdued their laughter and had finally eased themselves into a restful nap, both knowing that in spite that their date had gone unintentionally sour, they both knew that no matter how unwell they both were, they knew they'd get through it together…

...as all loving young couples do…

* * *

And as it turned out, everything was turning out well after all. In the span of a few days, Dipper and Wendy still under the care of Grunkle Ford and the rest of the Mystery Shack clan to help cure their virus. Melody had called Manly Dan Corduroy about the situation and after some discussion, he had allowed them to keep her safe and well until she felt ready to come home.

Soos had bought enough antacids and medicine to ensure that the young couple would start to feel some progress on getting their health back on track again. Mabel did all she could to help out as well, and despite that she was still worried about her brother and his girlfriend, they still reassured that they'll be okay. Even Grunkle Stan, who was still annoyed after trying to scrub out puke off of the carpet of his sedan, helped out by giving the two remedies and elixirs to settle their stomachs.

In the end, Dipper and Wendy had found themselves back on their feet again, thanks to the efforts of their family. And after a few grateful thanks and hugs shared between Dipper, Wendy, and the rest of the Pines family, it was unsurprising to see Dipper and Wendy actually head out on another date the day after they were fully cured, only this time, instead of going to a restaurant, all they simply did was go to the local park to relax with each other, both happy to be in each healthy arms once more.

As for Bistro by the Bay's condition, while the incident wasn't enough to cause the restaurant to close down, the word did spread around about the whole "rotten clams" ordeal, which unfortunately caused a health inspector to drop by to discuss about the situation. In the end, the restaurant's rating went from an A down to a C, only because this was the first and only bad occurrence to happen to Bistro by the Bay as of now, so luckily, they got off somewhat easily.

But I can surely tell you that they'll certainly double-check their food for any poisoning or tampering in future, that's for sure...

**THE END**

* * *

**And with that, that was "Sick as a Clam", everybody! Sorry it wasn't as eventful as one may expect, but after the plot bunny came up and smacked me with the idea stick, I wanted to get this up in time for Valentine's Day. Plus, I'm also sorry for such a long gap b/w "Saudade" and this story, I just needed some motivation to get back in the swing of things. **

**Another Gravity Falls fic is certainly is the works to come up sometime next month or so, only this time, this story revolves around Dipper and Mabel, but instead of there being family drama, it's them on another adventure on trying to discover another one of Gravity Falls' mysterious creatures!**

**Don't forget to read, rate, and review my other stories if you'd like and I hope you all have enjoyed and that you all have a great Valentine's Day! :)**

**~Thunderbyrd**


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